The Cat That God Sent

Kraus (The Dog That Talked to God) gives equal time to felines in a tale of a minister who's lost his faith. Jake Wilkerson, the new pastor of a church in rural Pennsylvania, has a secret: he has deep doubts about God. Into his life saunters Petey, a stray cat with an internal sense of mission, who quickly makes himself at home in the parsonage. Also into Jake's life walks Tassy, a 19-year-old who has been abandoned on a Pennsylvania roadside by her boyfriend. And there's veterinarian Emma Grainger, who's got an overweight bulldog and a traumatic secret. All three get to learn something through Petey's presence. Nobody does quirky small-town churches like Philip Gulley, but Kraus is good. He's also good at depicting the internal dry spells of faith. While it's harder to believe that a cat will walk with its owner than to believe it is a sign from God, the suspension of disbelief is most enjoyable. (Apr.)